Metagovernance as scaffolding: strategies promoting co-created learning and innovation for sustainability transitions
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, Denmark
- 2Department of Landscape Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
- 3Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
- 4Cluster of Public Policy, Project Management and Governance, National Institute of Public Administration, Malaysia
Abstract
Co-creation among cross-sectoral actors offers a promising pathway for fostering collaborative learning and innovation in response to complex societal challenges. While prior research highlights the role of metagovernance in shaping co-creation, it has often focused on the utilization of discrete governance tools rather than on how these tools function together. This article argues that a key task for metagovernors is to ‘scaffold’ co-creation through the strategic configuration of complementary and interlocking governance factors that support three core dimensions: (a) reciprocal knowledge exchange and perspective transformation (input); (b) adaptive responsiveness to emerging needs and feedback (process); and (c) collective ownership and commitment to both the collaborative process and its outcomes (output). Based on a within- and cross-case analysis of four successful co-created sustainability solutions from Denmark, the United States, Malaysia, and Serbia, we draw the key distinction between two types of scaffolding: necessary scaffolding providing the baseline support structures for co-creation, and contingent scaffolding in the form of situational mechanisms activated in response to contextual challenges. By conceptualizing scaffolding as a flexible, context-sensitive configuration of governance factors, our findings demonstrate that successful co-creation emerges not from individual governance tools alone, but from their strategic alignment and interaction.
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BibTeX
@article{chenflorea2026metagovernance,
title = {{Metagovernance as scaffolding: strategies promoting co-created learning and innovation for sustainability transitions}},
author = {Alexander L. Q. Chen-Florea and Eva Sørensen and Mohd Sallehuddin Mat Noor and Rastislav Vrbensky and Yoon Ai Chin},
journal = {Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1016/j.eist.2026.101148},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2026.101148},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Metagovernance as scaffolding: strategies promoting co-created learning and innovation for sustainability transitions
AU - Alexander L. Q. Chen-Florea
AU - Eva Sørensen
AU - Mohd Sallehuddin Mat Noor
AU - Rastislav Vrbensky
AU - Yoon Ai Chin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/23
JO - Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
DO - 10.1016/j.eist.2026.101148
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2026.101148
AB - Co-creation among cross-sectoral actors offers a promising pathway for fostering collaborative learning and innovation in response to complex societal challenges. While prior research highlights the role of metagovernance in shaping co-creation, it has often focused on the utilization of discrete governance tools rather than on how these tools function together. This article argues that a key task for metagovernors is to ‘scaffold’ co-creation through the strategic configuration of complementary and interlocking governance factors that support three core dimensions: (a) reciprocal knowledge exchange and perspective transformation (input); (b) adaptive responsiveness to emerging needs and feedback (process); and (c) collective ownership and commitment to both the collaborative process and its outcomes (output). Based on a within- and cross-case analysis of four successful co-created sustainability solutions from Denmark, the United States, Malaysia, and Serbia, we draw the key distinction between two types of scaffolding: necessary scaffolding providing the baseline support structures for co-creation, and contingent scaffolding in the form of situational mechanisms activated in response to contextual challenges. By conceptualizing scaffolding as a flexible, context-sensitive configuration of governance factors, our findings demonstrate that successful co-creation emerges not from individual governance tools alone, but from their strategic alignment and interaction.
SN - 2210-4224
SN - 2210-4232
ER -